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ROH – Manhattan Mayhem May 7, 2005: Manhattan, New York

June 15, 2005 | Posted by Jacob Ziegler
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ROH – Manhattan Mayhem May 7, 2005: Manhattan, New York  

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ROH – Manhattan Mayhem… May 7, 2005 … Manhattan, New York

Review by Brad Garoon and Jacob Ziegler

Intro

BG says: We’re skipping ahead a few shows to see if this one can live up to the hype. Live reports said that this was an untouchable top-to-bottom show. Don’t worry, we’ll be going back and filling in the blank after this review.

Colt Cabana starts the show off by taking Good Times Great Memories to the streets of New York. He’s bummed at how Nigel McGuiness reacted to him after their tag team title loss a few shows prior. He asks random New Yorkers what they think of Nigel, and they respond in varying ways.

Samoa Joe meets Jay Lethal in the ring before the show starts. Lethal thanks him for turning his life around and guiding him to the Pure title. Joe gets pushy because Lethal still hasn’t learned to show no sympathy to his opponents. Lethal turns things around and says that he’ll be the guy in the driver’s seat in their relationship after tonight.

JZ says: I feel a little weird about doing the shows out of order, but this one has gotten so much hype it was just too hard to ignore. Let’s hope it lives up to the hype.

Good Times, Great Memories makes its New York debut and Cabana takes the opportunity to badmouth Nigel McGuiness. Cabana is all fired up for his match against Nigel tonight.

Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal meet in the ring hours before they … meet in the ring. Lethal’s Pure Title is on the line tonight. Joe gets all fired up Lethal and wants the Pure Title that he spent the last year and a half shitting on.

MATCH #1: Dunn & Marcos vs. Lacey’s Angels vs. Dixie & Azrieal

BG says: Dunn & Marcos come out to take part in the opening match. The Carnage Crew make their return to the company and take them out of the match with hubcaps and a piledriver on Dunn through a table on the floor. Loc gets on the mic and tells ROH and the fans to kiss their asses. I read this great idea someone had to bring the Carnage Crew back as relaxed guys wearing Hawaiian shirts because their nagging wives died and they got to chill on the life insurance. I thought that would have been a great gimmick, but I guess recycling their old one works. Bleh.

The losing team must break up. I really dig the Lacey’s Angels gimmick. Azrieal and Deranged start the match. Deranged puts Azrieal in the corner and slaps him. Azrieal returns the favor. Deranged grabs a headlock and goes to the wrist. Dixie tags in, as does Izzy. Izzy grabs a headlock but ends up getting a hurricanrana. Dixie hits an inverted stunner for 2. Azrieal tags in and they hit double-team legdrop for 2. He hits a spinning back suplex for 2. He rips off Izzy’s shirt and chops away. He hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for 2. He puts on an octopus stretch but Izzy turns it into a DVD for 2. Deranged tags in and they hit a double suplex. Deranged chokes and punches him on the mat and then chokes him on the ropes. He hits a lariat for 2. Izzy tags in and hits a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Deranged tags in and hits a springboard Ace Crusher off of Izzy’s shoulders for 2. Azrieal sets him on the top and slaps him hard. He goes for a hurricanrana off the top but Deranged goes low. Azrieal crotches him when he stands on the top and hits a superplex. Dixie and Izzy tag in and Dixie gains the advantage. He hits a back bodydrop and then a German suplex on Deranged. Azrieal tags in and accidentally double stomps Dixie. He face-plants and double stomps Izzy and hits a backbreaker on Deranged. He hits a seated dropkick on Deranged for 2. Deranged comes back with a reverses hurricanrana piledriver for the win. It may have been a spot fest but everything hit totally clean and there was no resting to speak of. Dixie and Azrieal can no longer team up.
Rating: ***1/4

JZ says: The Carnage Crew is back and wow Loc is fat. Loc then cuts the same promo he always cuts, except saying that New York City could kiss his ass. So they’re heels now I guess, except they act the exact same as they used to. Hey Loc, yell a little bit more why don’t you? The Ring Crew Express is out of the match now, much to my chagrin.

Jimmy Bower and Dave Prazak are on commentary tonight. Lacey has a very important business meeting with P. Diddy and thus cannot be at ringside tonight. Lacey’s Angels is a cool gimmick, and I like how this match starts kind of slow, since the teams have met each other several times already. Jay-Z, Redman, and Maxim Magazine are all in the house tonight. These guys do some crazy stuff to each other, double stomps to the head and what not. Deranged gets the pin on Azrieal after that awesome reverse hurricanrana piledriver at 10:18. That was a really hot opener with good action.
Rating: ***

MATCH #2: Nigel McGuiness vs. Colt Cabana

BG says: Like the Dayton match, this match starts out full of chain wrestling and cool sequences that I really can’t even begin to describe here. For the most part it’s actually faster and smoother than it was in Dayton. Commentators Dave Prazak and Jimmy Bower do a good job of getting over how proficient Cabana got in Nigel’s wrestling style during his tour of England. The only problem with saying that is that Cabana was injured in the ROH universe during the time when he was actually wrestling in England. Nigel starts to focus the match by hitting separation anxiety and going to work on the arm. The way they begin to adapt to one another in the home stretch is really something special. Nigel picks up the win by kicking Cabana in the family jewels while trying to roll through his legs and then getting a victory roll for the three count. I actually enjoyed this much more than their Dayton match, as it seemed even more unique and interesting than the normal style of the company. They walk out together, but Cabana seems upset.
Rating: ****

JZ says: I really liked their Dayton match, let’s see how this compares. The British chain stuff at the beginning is great. Wow, I just watched that last match so intently I didn’t even write anything down. They do a great job of building on their match from Dayton and adding new stuff. Bower and Prazak do a good job calling the action and getting over the angle. Nigel gets the pin after a low blow and a victory roll at 11:52. The finish came a little bit out of nowhere, but it was very much a better match than February 25, in a style that very few people can do, let alone do well.
Rating: ***3/4

Backstage

BG says: Alex Shelley, from a dark room in the back, complains that the ROH locker room won’t let him change with them. He runs down his history with Austin Aries and Generation Next. He’s no longer proud of what he did with Generation Next, but realizes that those actions resulted in Austin Aries doing the impossible and beating Samoa Joe for the ROH title. He didn’t do that before turning on Shelley however, and because of that he’s going to get his revenge and take the title. Best promo from Shelley ever.

JZ says: Alex Shelley talks about his history in Ring of Honor and how things came to be the way they are now. He goes through his debut, his injury, his fight to gain a full-time spot in Ring of Honor. They splice in clips from Generation Next on May 22 of last year. Shelley is READY for his match with Aries tonight. That is probably the best promo from Shelley ever, and he has a lot of good ones.

MATCH #3: Black Tiger vs. James Gibson

BG says: Tiger is once again Rocky Romero, making this a pseudo rematch of their match from Back to Basics. The mask is a cool way to let Romero have matches without being associated with the Rottweilers. Gibson grabs a wristlock and hits a backdrop for 2. Tiger hits a flying mare putting Gibson out of the ring. Back in the ring Tiger blocks a monkey flip but Gibson kills him with a running forearm. He hits a bodyslam for 2. He puts on a knucklelock but Tiger springboards to escape and overwhelms Gibson with strikes. He dropkicks him to the floor. He goes for a baseball slide but Gibson blocks and rams Tiger into the guardrail. Back in the ring he hits a legdrop and headbutts the back. He hits a back suplex for 2. He puts on a camel clutch but lets go to kick his head. Tiger hits a crossbody and reverses a back suplex to another for 2. He goes to the apron and hits a springboard dropkick. He puts on a cravat but Gibson gets to the ropes. He puts it back on and rams Gibson’s head into the turnbuckle for 2. He hits a series of knee drops sending Gibson to the floor. On the floor he puts the cravat back on and sends Gibson into the guardrail. Back in the ring Tiger hits a bodyslam but misses a reverse elbow drop from the top. Gibson puts on an armbar but Tiger reverses to a cross arm breaker. Gibson reverses that to a cloverleaf but Tiger makes the ropes. Gibson hits a pair of short arm clotheslines and a backbreaker. He goes to the second rope and hits a legdrop for 2. Tiger goes for a tombstone piledriver into an Oklahoma slam attempt but Tiger escapes. Tiger goes for the tiger suplex but Gibson reverses to a roll up for 2. He hits a swinging neckbreaker. Tiger comes back with a tiger suplex for 2. He goes for a fisherman’s suplex but Gibson blocks. He kicks him a few times and hits the fisherman’s suplex for 2. He grabs an ankle lock off the kick out but Gibson makes the ropes. Tiger puts it back on but Gibson powers out and gets a roll up for 2. Gibson puts Tiger on the top rope and starts kicking so Tiger grabs the ankle lock again. Gibson is in the ropes and the ref calls for the break. Tiger goes for a crossbody but Gibson catches him with a gutbuster. Tiger hits a northern lights suplex for 2 but Gibson turns it into the Trailer Hitch for the win. This was awesome, and had the psychology been more focused then I don’t think anything else on this card would be able to top it.
Rating: ****

JZ says: Bower announces that Gibson is getting his second title shot six days from tonight’s show, whether the champion be Austin Aries or Alex Shelley. Romero seems to be changing his style a little bit to fit the Black Tiger persona, which may cause some to not be able to recognize his style. Tiger and Gibson are both very good technical wrestlers, and the crowd is totally into this one. Maybe they just love Gibson’s “John Deer” theme tights. All of their stuff is crisp (except one awkward spot where Gibson didn’t quite roll through on a flying body press, but they made it look okay), and the pace is fast. Gibson gets dropped on his head really nastily with the Tiger Suplex, but it only gets two. The fisherman suplex into ankle lock spot is Tremendous, with a capital T. Gibson sells so well. Gibson gets the win at 15:58. Wow, that was an awesome match almost out of nowhere. I mean, both guys are good, but this wasn’t one of the main matches on the show or anything, and it was great.
Rating: ****

MATCH #4: ROH Tag Team Title Match – Jack Evans & Roderick Strong vs. BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs

BG says: This should be really good. Both teams have that little man/big man dynamic working for them. New tag title belts for the champions here. Strong and Jacobs start. They lock up and Strong completely overpowers Jacobs. Jacobs trips him up and puts on a headlock. Whitmer tags in, as does Evans. Evans break dances so Jacobs councils Whitmer on how to counter. Strong runs in and they trade chops. Generation Next bails to the floor so Whitmer launches Jacobs onto them. Back in the ring Whitmer hits Evans with a bodyslam and powerbombs Jacobs onto him for 2. Whitmer hits a back elbow for 2. He nails a German suplex and Strong makes the blind tag. Whitmer catches him with a T-bone suplex and tags to Jacobs. Jacobs hits the seated dropkick and an assisted splash for 2. He goes for a sunset flip and gets kneed in the face. Evans comes in and hits a NASTY double stomp in the corner for 2. He hits the corkscrew for 2. Strong tags in and hits a double underhook suplex. He suplexes Evans into a 450 splash onto Jacobs for 2. Jacobs tries to fight to his corner and gets a spinebuster. Jacobs reverses a vertical suplex to a roll up for 2. Strong hits a clothesline and tags to Evans. Evans hits a falcon arrow for 2 and a spin kick for 2. Strong tags in and hits a big boot to the face for 2. Evans goes to the top and tags in. The Generation Next double-team is reversed to a reverse hurricanrana and Jacobs makes the tag. Whitmer takes it to Evans and hits a brainbuster. He hits a back bodydrop on Strong but gets caught with a backbreaker. Strong hits another and Evans moonsaults onto him for 2. Jacobs goes for the Contra Code on Strong but he blocks. Jacobs spears Evans for 2 for Whitmer. Jacobs climbs the ropes and hurricanranas Evans off of Whitmer’s shoulders for 2. Strong comes in and spinebusters Jacobs. He hits a backbreaker on Whitmer as well. Generation Next hit the awesome-Sault for 2 on Whitmer. Strong puts Whitmer on the top and he and Evans go for a double suplex. Jacobs pulls Strong out of the ring but Evans hurricanranas Whitmer off the top for 2. Strong comes in and hits a gutbuster on Whitmer. Whitmer comes back with a lariat sending him to the floor. Jacobs and Whitmer hit a Contra Code/powerbomb combo on Evans for the win. This was just as clean as the opener and had a better face-in-peril thing going for it. Not to mention that finish really putting this over the edge.
Rating: ****

JZ says: The New York crowd LOVES Jack Evans. They start off slow, until Whitmer tries his hand at dancing and decides that he’s better off slapping Evans. Whitmer assists Jacobs in hitting an awesome dive to the outside, and back in the ring Whitmer powerbombs Jacobs on top of Evans for two. That’s some awesome double-teaming right there. Evans’ flipping double stomp in the corner truly was Dangerous. The fans just go nuts through most of this match and all four guys are hitting their stuff in sync. Jimmy Jacobs is a great face-in-peril, the action was fast and furious, and Evans almost dies on the Doomsday Contra Code to give the champs the win at 14:45. One of the best ROH Tag Team Title matches in a long time.
Rating: ****

MATCH #5: ROH Pure Title Match – Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal

BG says: Joe strikes away in the early going but Lethal smacks him down. Joe gets a double leg takedown and goes for the choke but Lethal reverses to an armbar. Joe grabs an armbar but Lethal rolls over for a quick pin attempt. He hits a leg lariat for 1. He hits a neckbreaker for 1. He hits a side Russian legsweep and puts on a reverse Mexican surfboard, but Joe uses his first rope break to escape. Lethal misses a crossbody and Joe punches him in the face, earning him a warning. Lethal hits a quick neckbreaker. Lethal puts on the Cobra Clutch and Joe uses his second rope break. Joe hits the STO and the Big Joe Combo for 2. He blocks a forearm with a jab to the face and he loses his last rope break. He hits the powerbomb for 2 and goes right into the Boston crab. He switches it up to the STF and Lethal uses his first rope break. Joe hits a running knee in the corner and goes for the face wash. Lethal blocks and hits a dropkick in the corner. He fights for and hits a vertical suplex and a diving headbutt for 2. Joe tosses him to the apron and kicks him to the floor. He gets warned for a closed fist as Joe nails him with a suicide dive. They fight on the apron where Joe misses a clothesline. Lethal puts on a sleeper, and since Joe has no rope breaks left it’s legal. He turns around and drops through a table at ringside to break it up. Back in the ring they trade chops. Joe hits a powerslam for 2 and goes right to the cross arm breaker. Lethal uses his second rope break to escape. Joe goes for another powerbomb but Lethal reverses to a neckbreaker. He comes off the second rope with a DDT for 2. Joe slaps Lethal down and hits a clothesline to the back. He misses a clothesline and Lethal hits the dragon suplex for 2. Lethal goes for it again but Joe blocks. He hits a German suplex, a dragon suplex and the Chimeraplex for the win and the title. People were giving this match of the night honors when it happened. To me it felt like, while they told a good story using the rules of the match, both guys were just getting their signature moves in until it was time for the finish. ‘The Champ is Here’ plays after the match.
Rating: ***1/2

Joe and Lethal shake hands and the lights get dim. Low Ki’s music plays and the crowd goes nuts. Ki, Homicide and J-Train appear at the entrance and circle the ring. Monsta Mack returns to ROH and attacks Joe from behind. Lethal tries to help but the Rottweilers (including Romero) attack him. They crotch him with a baseball bat and then go to work on him and Joe. Ki gets on the mic and admits to being the guy who attacked Lethal at Trios Tournament 2005. That’s a pretty good way to get Ki back from suspension.

JZ says: This is a neat dynamic for a match, as its teacher versus student, but also Joe battling for the Pure Title, something he is very unfamiliar with. He proves it by using two of his rope breaks within the first five minutes. He loses his third by punching Lethal in the face, and Lethal hasn’t used a single one of his yet. Todd Sinclair almost gets taken out by Lethal when he’s running the ropes. The crowd is behind both men. Wow, Lethal actually hits the Dragon Suplex on Joe, dropping him right on his head. The crowd totally bought that as a false finish. The Chimera combo is enough for Joe to get the win at 16:35 and we have a new Pure Champion. That was intense and hard-hitting, and the crowd was totally buying everything they were doing. One of the best Pure Title matches, though not quite on the level of John Walters versus Doug Williams or the first Williams versus Alex Shelley.
Rating: ***3/4

Monsta Mack is back! Um, cool? The Rottweilers beat everybody up, and damn if they don’t look convincing while they do it.

Intermission

BG says: The Scoopster is backstage with Nigel McGuiness. He asks Nigel about the low blow. He says it was an accident and he didn’t even know it happened until after the match. But he still beat Cabana. If Cabana has a problem with him then he isn’t hard to find.

A clip of Spanky v. Roderick Strong from FIP is played under the announcement that Spanky can’t wait to get back to ROH and he wants the ROH title. Gotta love pseudo subliminal advertising.

JZ says: First we get an ad for the Straight Shootin’ Series, which has produced some very entertaining shoot interviews. Of course, it’s also produced the Tom Prichard and Butch Reed shoots.

The Scoopster! He’s got Nigel McGuiness with him. Nigel is excited about the victory he earned tonight.

Now they show an ad for the ROH wrestling school, followed by an ad for Full Impact Pro. That’s a good way to advertise some of their products.

MATCH #6: Dog Collar Match – Jimmy Rave vs. CM Punk

BG says: As can be expected when it comes to the Embassy, this feud has been great. Punk hasn’t been able to get a decisive pin on Jimmy Rave, as he’s run away or sent in other members of the Embassy in his place to take the punishment. The Embassy is in full force for this one. Nana tells the crowd that Rave can’t wrestle tonight because he got sick from a New York City subway water fountain. He sends Rave to the back and says that Mike Kruel will take his place. Rave runs back to the ring as Punk adjusts the chain and attacks from behind. Rave pounds him down and puts the chain on. Punk wraps his hand in chain and punches Rave in the gut. Punk Garvin stomps him all over and hits a dropkick. He hangs Rave up in the Tree of Woe and hits a pair of running knees. He goes outside to get a chair but Rave uses the chain to ram Punk and the chair into the post. Punk bleeds bad as Rave tosses him around ringside. Back in the ring Rave rakes the chain across Punk’s forehead wound. Rave hits a clothesline and muzzles Punk with the chain. He curb stomps him with the chain in his mouth for 2. He calls for the Rave Clash but Punk uses the ropes to block. He hits the Shining Wizard and starts clocking Rave. He hits a clothesline and a leg lariat. He hits a superkick for 2. He goes for a powerbomb but Rave punches out and puts on the crossface with the chain. Punk blocks Ghanarea and goes for Welcome to Chicago. Rave blocks and goes for the running knee but Punk reverses to a half crab. Nana gets on the apron and Rave crotches Punk with the chain. He hits the running knee for 2. He goes for the Pepsi Plunge but Punk backdrops him off the top. He hits a pair of powerbombs and calls for another. He hits it on the chain and gets 2. He puts on the Anaconda Vice but Diablo and Kruel get on the apron. Oman comes in and gets clotheslined. Punk hits Rave with the Pepsi Twist. Eddie tries to moonsault onto Punk to break the pin but hits Rave. Punk tosses Eddie into Kruel and hits Kruel with a tornado DDT. Punk goes for the spike DDT but Nana comes in. Jade jumps on Punk’s back but gets tossed off. Rave nails Punk with a series of chair shots and gets the pin. That was an awesome brawl that made Punk look like a million bucks and the interference set up perfectly the cage match on the next show. The Embassy keep beating on Punk until Cabana, Gibson, Dixie and Azrieal make the save.
Rating: ****1/4

After walking himself to the back Punk says he’s figured Rave out. He runs down all the things Rave has done to him, but says that he was unable to crack his skull. This is important because Punk cracked his skull a few years ago and was out for a long time. At Nowhere to Run, there will be no interference for Rave and he will make him pay.

JZ says: I think I’ve said it before, but The Embassy rules. Nana says that Mike Kruel will be taking the place of Jimmy Rave tonight, much like he did at Stalemate on April 16. They keep splicing in footage of prior Embassy beatings on Punk and it looks kind of confusing if you’re not ready for it. Putting all of it in a package before the match would be kind of nice. This time it was all a ruse though, as Rave attacks Punk from behind. The only other dog collar match in ROH history was Raven versus CM Punk at Death Before Dishonor on July 19, 2003. That match was pretty awesome and had a great post-match angle. Punk gets busted open about three minutes in. Bower is hyping the cage match between these two next week in Chicago at Nowhere to Run. Punk is bleeding like crazy by now. Punk reversing the running knee into a single leg crab looked pretty awesome, much like this match. Fast Eddie accidentally hits Rave with a moonsault – maybe he just didn’t see Punk move? Rave NAILS Punk with a steel chair a bunch of times and he gets the win from it at 13:37. Wow, what a great match. The angle is hot, the match was hot, the result was right, and everybody looked strong. I’m giving it an extra 1/2* for all of those intangibles being right. How about Punk, Cabana, Gibson, Azrieal & Dixie versus Rave, Fast Eddie, The Outcast Killaz & Mike Kruel?
Rating: ****1/2

MATCH #7: ROH World Title Match – Alex Shelley vs. Austin Aries

BG says: They lock up and Aries slaps Shelley on the break. Aries takes him to the mat but ends up losing the advantage and shoves Shelley away. Aries grabs a headlock and hits a seated dropkick. He chokes Shelley out in the corner but ends up getting German suplexed. Shelley hits the snot blow and a double knee strike in the corner. He hits a snap suplex for 2. He comes in with a slingshot elbow drop for 2. Aries goes for explosive elbow #1 but Shelley blocks and clotheslines him out of the ring. Shelley climbs to the top and hits his spinning dive. He tries to suplex Aries back in the ring but ends up getting hung up on the top rope. He hits a neckbreaker on the second rope and a slingshot senton. He hits an elbow drop but Shelley is in the ropes. Shelley blocks a suplex and hits the Golden Gate swing for 2. Shelley climbs the ropes but Aries cuts him off and hits a hanging neckbreaker for 2. He puts on a neck submission and stops to hit a kneedrop for 2. Aries stays on the neck with another kneedrop. He hits a snap side slam for 2. He puts on the Cobra Clutch and hits a backbreaker. He keeps the hold on but Shelley punches out. He hits explosive elbow #2 for 2. He stays on the neck and hits another neckbreaker. He hangs his neck up on the top rope again and hits a slingshot splash for 2. An Asai moonsault hits knees and Shelley hits an enziguiri. He hits a clothesline and fires up. He hits a bodyslam and climbs the ropes. He hits a frog splash for 2. He puts on the Border City stretch but Aries reverses to the fishhook. Aries goes for the shinbreaker which Shelley reverses to the Border City stretch. Aries bites the hand to escape. He goes for the HBK superkick but Aries blocks and hits the shinbreaker/back suplex combo. He hits a dropkick in the corner and the babyface dropkick. He hits another dropkick in the corner for 2. He hits a running knee and a fireman’s carry slam. He goes for the 450 splash but Shelley moves. Shelley hits the superkick and the Shellshock for 2. He goes for the Border City stretch but Aries reverses to a roll up for 2. Shelley blocks the crucifix bomb and hits the TKO. He hits a tornado DDT and the Shellshock for 2 when Aries gets his hand on the ropes. Aries hits the roaring elbow and the kick to the face. He hits the brainbuster and the 450 splash for the win. Well, if it beat Samoa Joe then Shelley really didn’t stand a chance. After being ousted from the group and then put out for a month with an injury at the hands of Generation Next, the only real satisfying way to end this would have been for Shelley to win. Weird result aside, this match was all kinds of cool and action packed.
Rating: ***3/4

Low Ki, Homicide and J-Train hit the ring after the match. Aries decides to take a powder as Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal attack the Rottweilers from behind. They toss them to the floor and hit stereo suicide dives. Ki and Homicide decide to get back in the ring and we have a match!

JZ says: Heat for a title match is great, but the dueling chants thing is so beyond annoying. Bower and Prazak hype how many title defenses Aries has made. I maintain that when they’re not in ROH against worthy contenders, the defense means nothing. Some of his defenses were against Steve Douglas, Pete Huge, and Gage Octane. Yippee!! But I should get away from the negative because I’m a huge Alex Shelley fan and I’m really glad to finally see him get a shot at the ROH title. I honestly find Shelley to be much more talented and entertaining than Austin Aries. I would have liked to see Shelley win the World Title and continue being a heel rather than Aries dethroning Joe. Alas, I have digressed enough. As much as I knock Aries, it’s more because I don’t care for him as champion, not that I don’t think he’s good, because he certainly is. He’s proving it here by keeping up with Shelley and having an excellent back-and-forth contest. Aries’ pandering to the crowd is really getting under my skin. He’s supposed to be a heel, because there are heels and babyfaces in ROH. Aries puts Shelley away with the same combo that beat Joe at 19:32. While Aries’ antics are a bit annoying, his work here was outstanding and Shelley was his usual amazing self.
Rating: ****

MATCH #8: Low Ki & Homicide vs. Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal

BG says: Everyone brawls to start. Joe gives Ki to Lethal on the top and washes his upside down face. Joe dumps Ki and Lethal takes it to Homicide. Homicide catches him with a knee lift as Ki hits Joe with a flying chop on the outside. Lethal gets dumped and Homicide hits his tope on him. Ki gets in the ring and Homicide rolls Lethal back in. Ki hits a double stomp to the face for 2. The Rottweilers hit a double shoulder block and Homicide hits the hanging DDT. Ki hangs Lethal in the Tree of Woe and Homicide dropkicks him. He holds Lethal up and Ki double stomps him for 2. Ki and Lethal strike the crap out of each other and Ki hits a vertical suplex for 2. Joe finally gets back on the apron as Homicide comes in and hits an Ace Crusher. Ki comes in and covers for 2 as Homicide knocks Joe off the apron. The heels aren’t tagging, so Joe should really just get in the ring. He hits a big clothesline for 2. Homicide hits a piledriver for 2. Lethal blocks another one and reverses the Clothesline from Hell to a dragon suplex. He hits a leg lariat on Ki and tags to Joe. Joe comes in and cleans house. He hits Ki with the STO and hits a belly to belly suplex on Homicide into the corner. Ki starts to come back but Lethal hits him with a clothesline. Joe puts Ki on top and goes for the muscle buster but Homicide boots him in the face to block. Joe gets hung up on the second rope and Ki double stomps him for 2. Lethal hits Homicide with a running suplex. Ki dropkicks Joe into the corner. He calls for the douche bag double stomp but Lethal cuts him off. Ki knocks him off the top and into Homicide. Homicide picks him up for the Cop Killer and Ki double stomps onto him, adding force to the sickest Cop Killer ever. Needless to say it gets the win. The tag rules were inconsistent and annoying, but the match was crazy stiff and out of control.
Rating: ***1/2

JZ says: Impromptu main events are an interesting idea, but if you’re going to do one – do it like this. These guys are going full-bore right away and the action is fast and intense. Lethal briefly plays the face-in-peril, until Joe comes in a house-a-fire. Lethal’s running vertical suplex is pretty cool. I find it hard to believe that Jay Lethal did not die as a result of this match. That move was just sick looking. This was a hot main event and a great way to bring Low Ki back into the fold. The match was just 9:16, but they packed a lot of moves and intensity into a short amount of time.
Rating: ***1/2

Aftermath

BG says: In what looks like the basement, Prince Nana rants on CM Punk and tells Jimmy Rave to put him in his grave in the cage match in Chicago. Rave says he isn’t scared of Punk, and next week he’s going to be just another stepping stone for Jimmy Rave.

It is announced that the Homicide/Bryan Danielson feud will come to an end at The Final Showdown in a steel cage match.

James Gibson feels that he should be happy because he beat Black Tiger tonight. But he’s not happy, because somehow he got screwed out of the title at Stalemate. He’s got Aries again at The Final Showdown, and he won’t make the same mistakes.

Sugar Sean Price is with Colt Cabana. He’s bummed out that he was kicked in the nads. He starts getting frustrated and then just starts making fun of Nigel’s Britishness. Nigel walks up and says naughty things and they stare each other down.

JZ says: Prince Nana is the perfect mouthpiece. Jimmy Rave actually gets to talk in this promo, which sounds odd. Great hype for the cage match though.

Bryan Danielson and Homicide will end their feud at the very next ROH show. That’s good news.

James Gibson beat “Black Tiger Mask” tonight, and he’s proud of it. He’s also a poet and didn’t know it.

My boy SSP is with Colt Cabana, who is his usual funny self. Sugar tries to smooth Cabana’s injured psyche by saying that Nigel didn’t mean to hit him in the balls. Nigel comes in and stare’s Cabana down.

MVP

BG says: Tough call here as everyone really went the extra mile, but I’ll give it to Punk for his performance in what in my opinion is the match of the night.

JZ says: Alex Shelley gets my vote for delivering the best promo of his life and having a terrific World Title match with Austin Aries.
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E-mail Brad at [email protected]
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See you soon with our review of It All Begins!

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The 411: BG says: With three **** and one ****1/4 match this is above and beyond the best ROH show ever. I didn't think that anything could top Third Anniversary Celebration Night 3, but here it is. I may have overrated a few things because of the great feeling that the show gave off, but pending another go around I can say that this is a must-have.

JZ says: Nothing below *** and four matches at **** or above, this is definitely the best ROH show to date. It goes by so fast and the crowd is hot for almost the entire night. All three titles are on the line and defended in excellent matches, so this is just a super show.

411 Elite Award
Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]  legend

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Jacob Ziegler

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